Police: 68-year-old Jupiter man accused of molesting 11-year-old boy

A 68-year-old Jupiter man arrested Tuesday is accused of molesting an 11-year-old boy, according to the Jupiter Police Department.

When police questioned Carlos Alberto Portalea, he told detectives, “It was a misunderstanding. It won’t happen again, and it’s because of what I have done in the past.”

Portalea is accused of molesting the 11-year-old boy on April 25, when the boy came to Portalea’s home to help with a garage sale, the police report states.

A witness told police that she walked into the house and saw Portalea standing closely over the 11-year-old, who was sitting on the couch. The witness told police that she asked the 11-year-old, who seemed upset, what happened. The boy told her that Portalea touched him, according to the report.

An attorney from the State Attorney’s Office said Wednesday morning at Portalea’s first appearance in court that he was arrested on similar charges in 1994, although not in Florida.

Portalea faces one charge of lewd and lascivious behavior. He was released from Palm Beach County Jail Wednesday morning on $50,000 bail.